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Headmaster's Welcome

A very warm welcome to the website of St Andrew’s Prep, Eastbourne.

In a fast changing world, it is easy for children to grow up too quickly. Here at St. Andrew’s Prep, we value childhood as the most important stage in one’s life, a time where social development through friendship and play is as important as academic development within the classroom. We passionately believe that prep school education is about opening doors to young minds and, whilst maintaining high academic standards, we strive to ensure that each pupil has as many doors from which to choose as possible.

We feel that this is an exceptional school; an environment which upholds the finest traditions for which prep schools are famed but also one which is forward thinking in preparing children for life in the 21st century. We seek to ensure that all pupils are equipped with the essential qualities of kindness and compassion and that when each child leaves he or she is skilled and confident to perform in many different arenas.

This website will give you a glimpse of the education, opportunities and challenges that the school can offer your child. Please do explore it thoroughly and I hope it will whet the appetite for a visit during which, I’m sure, you’ll gain a real sense of the energy, the happiness and the engagement in learning of our children. I’m sure too you will see why we are so proud of its location, the heritage, facilities and staff of the school, but most of all, the children who define us and are the school’s heartbeat.

I very much look forward to meeting you and your children at St Andrew’s.

ADMISSIONS WELCOME

St Andrew’s Prep is a non-selective school independent day and boarding school for girls and boys from the age of 9 months to 13. We accept children at any stage during an academic year and any year entry point for day pupils and from Year 3 for boarding children.

We welcome all prospective enquiries whether you are seeking a place in the Nursery, Pre-Prep or Prep school. We encourage you to come and see for yourself the opportunities that a St Andrew’s education can offer your child so do come along for a personal visit or attend of our Open Mornings.

OPEN EVENTS, DROP-INS & TASTER DAYS

We warmly invite you to visit the school to see the breadth of education and facilities on offer at St Andrew’s Prep. We hold several open mornings throughout the year when visitors can view the school in action, we offer personal appointments for a more one-to-one experience and we also offer taster days.

Forthcoming Open Events:

Thursday 4 May 2017 6pm to 8pm

Friday 5 May 2017 9.30am till 12 noon

Scholarships available for 2017:

Taster Days

We encourage parents to arrange taster days for their children so that their children can experience a full day at the school. Please contact the Registrar who will work closely with parents to chose an appropriate day that would be most suited to your child.

INDIVIDUAL VISITS

The Headmaster is happy to meet with prospective parents and individual appointments can be arranged throughout the academic year. You will be able to meet the Head and he or our Head of Pre-Prep will give you a personal tour of the school.

If you would like to arrange an individual visit please contact the Admissions Office.

ST ANDREW’S LIFE

Children achieve extraordinary things at St Andrew’s. We are proud of the breadth and excellence of our curriculum and co-curricular activities. Every day our children explore new frontiers; putting on spectacular plays, competing in teams locally, regionally and nationally, working hard to gain places in some of the country’s leading schools or raising monies for charity. Other quieter successes make us equally proud and happen every day – perhaps a fear is overcome or something new attempted.

But what is a broad curriculum?

From an early age, children are taught by experienced teachers in each subject area, with specialist teaching for Drama, Music and Sport. The majority of our older children play instruments and there is a fabulous mix of musical groups to join. Sports teams start from Year 3 and we want all the children to wear the school shirt. Our top teams regularly compete in county and national competitions. There are two big school productions each year for Years 5 to 8 and many other smaller productions in house or participation in local dramatic events. Our wide range of co-curricular activities enable children to develop and pursue passions and interests.

In the Pre-Prep and now the Junior Department, the children love going to the Forest School and Beach School to enhance their studies and have fun. Both the Nursery and the Pre-Prep are able to enjoy all the facilities available to the Prep School, including vast playing fields, a swimming pool, music department and several outdoor play areas.

In the classroom children are stretched and many go on to take scholarships for senior schools. Having a genuine choice of senior schools at thirteen is important and allows parents to find a school that is right for their child.

Boarding is integral to the school offering a friendly, family atmosphere which is very important for children experiencing their first taste of boarding and it is a very good introduction to boarding in preparation for a child’s move to their senior school. There is an active and purposeful schedule for boarders in the evenings and at weekends. Children foster friendships, become integrated and contribute to the school.

We provide the children with the environment, support and resources to learn and develop and above all it is the potential and character of each individual that we seek to nurture daily at St Andrew’s. The confidence, happiness and fulfilment of every child is our absolute priority so that they can flourish both at school and beyond.

Choice at 13

The Headmaster’s personal knowledge of senior schools in the locality and his ability to match up your child to the most appropriate one is a key strength of the school. The emphasis on the right school for the right child is paramount and the promotion of parental choice is a keystone.

DESTINATION SCHOOLS

Towards the end of your child’s time at St Andrew’s the Headmaster will meet with you to discuss which senior schools may be the most suitable for your child. He will encourage you to visit a number of schools to help you to identify the best one for your child. St Andrew’s has many years of experience in preparing children for a number of different secondary schools for both scholarship and common entrance examinations and for a list of senior schools which pupils have moved on to in the past few years, please click here.

EASTBOURNE COLLEGE – part of the same charity

Eastbourne College Open Morning - Saturday 27 February 2016 from 9.00am till noon

The charities of St Andrew’s Prep and Eastbourne College amalgamated to form one charity – Eastbourne College Charity in February 2010. The two schools operate under the one board of governors but operate independently with their own head. St Andrew’s is non-selective for children aged 9 months to 13 years and the College is selective, catering for 13 to 18 year old pupils.
Given the link between the two schools, a large number of children from St Andrew’s do move on to Eastbourne College at the end of Year 8 but there is a significant number who gain places at other senior schools in the locality.
For further details please click here.

EASTBOURNE COLLEGE CHARITY

In February 2010, after careful discussion, the charities of Eastbourne College and St Andrew’s School (now St Andrew's Prep) amalgamated to form one charity – Eastbourne College Charity. The schools considered the strategic advantages of such a development and their governing bodies felt that this was the right time to consolidate the two charities into one and strengthen and guarantee the long-term future of first-class independent education for children of all ages in the town of Eastbourne and beyond. The two schools operate under one board of governors which is made up of representatives from the former governing bodies.

The amalgamated charity has enabled carefully targeted capital investment in the improvement of facilities of both schools. The proximity of the two sites ensures many opportunities for facilities are shared, for example the Year 5s at St Andrew’s staged a production of James and the Giant Peach in the Birley Centre. As well as the many educational benefits that flow, the two schools benefit from sharing expertise and resources in critical areas such as ICT, bursarial functions, human resources, compliance with the ever-growing regulation that applies to schools, marketing and the maintenance of buildings and grounds. Since the amalgamation there is considerable mutual benefit for both schools and children aged 9 months to 18 years old are the primary beneficiaries of this partnership.

The schools continue to operate independently, each with its own head responsible to the overarching governing body through a joint finance committee and two general purpose committees – one for each school.

St Andrew’s Prep continues to be a prep school that prepares girls and boys for Common Entrance and Scholarship entrance to a range of senior schools; Eastbourne College continues to recruit from a very wide range of feeder schools. The emphasis on the right school for the right child is paramount in both schools and the promotion of parental choice is a keystone.

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

The work of the charity within the community covers a number of different areas. From an educational aspect, both Eastbourne College and St Andrew’s aim to give wider access to education and to share facilities for the educational benefit of others.

As a major employer in the area and a significant player in the local economy, the charity is actively engaged in working with and for the wider Eastbourne community. There are a number of partnerships with local organisations that provide community, educational and sporting activities involving our pupils, staff, the general public and facilities.

Both schools have an extensive charity programme giving to a number of well-know national charities and also to smaller local charities such as St Wilfrid’s Hospice, The Chaseley Trust, The Mustard Seed Relief Mission and the local branch of the RNLI.

At Eastbourne College and St Andrew’s, we encourage pupils to reflect on their good fortune and consider, as an integral part of their wider education, the needs of those less fortunate than themselves, within the community and beyond.

FACILITIES TO HIRE

Eastbourne College Charity has a number of facilities that can be hired out.

Whatever the nature of your event, be it a conference, an exhibition, a concert, a play, a recording or a sporting fixture we can offer an extensive range of facilities.

For more information on the facilities available at Eastbourne College, please click here.

For more information on the facilities available at St Andrew’s Prep, please click here.